our mission
Cruise the Saint Lawrence, founded in 2000, groups together the nine Destination Saint Lawrence ports of call of Montréal, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Saguenay, Baie-Comeau, Sept-Îles, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands. The mission of CSL is to grow cruise market activities in Québec and across Destination Canada New England through the provision of marketing and development services to members. Cruise the Saint Lawrence enjoys the support of partners Tourism Québec, Québec Tourism Industry Alliance and Industry, Science and Economic Development Canada.
A little history...
Once the domain of the white ships of Canada Steamship Lines in the years between 1913 and 1965, the Saint Lawrence has since become a must see international cruise destination. From the 1980s onwards, international cruise ships began introducing cruise ship passengers to the riches of the river and modern-day Québec, with facilities at Montréal and Québec periodically welcoming cruise ships into port.
Then in 2000, the port authorities of the two cities jointly founded Cruise the Saint Lawrence Association. From 2006, new ports of call progressively joined the ranks of the association: Saguenay, Baie-Comeau, Gaspé, Magdalen Islands, Sept-Îles, Havre-Saint-Pierre and Trois-Rivières. In 2008, the Government of Québec, in cooperation with Economic Development Canada, drafted and launched the Strategy for the Sustainable Development and Promotion of International Cruiseshipping on the Saint Lawrence River. Under the strategy, major investments helped equip Québec with international calibre port and greeting infrastructure. The strategy also provided the wherewithal to boost promotional activities with cruise lines based in the United States and Europe.
Cruise the Saint Lawrence today enjoys broad recognition within the cruise industry and at home in Québec for demonstrated sector-specific expertise acquired over the years. To achieve Cruise the Saint Lawrence objectives for sound industry growth, the team focuses efforts on a combination of sustainable development and innovation.